Got some pics of my new commuting route. I'm going to post them as soon as time will allow (probably later today), but here's one shot just to give an idea of the sort of countryside I ride through on the quotidian trek:

After 16 miles of this I am definitely in a good mood when I get home, no matter what kind of a day I had at work.

Aw man, I am as green with envy as that field.

Now, on the property my in-laws have in rural Virginia, they have a one acre pond which is maintained and stocked with fish by the county. Do you know if the owner of that pond maybe has the same deal?

Mmmmm, fresh for dinner after the ride home. Add a tossed salad and a couple of bottles of Blue Moon and I would definitely play hooky from work the next day so I could repeat the whole process for breakfast!

So anyway, my new homeward route takes me down past the OTHER side of the Newberry County International Municipal Puddle-jump Airport

...down a rural two-lane past the Newberry Country club, where much golf is played, and thence into the countryside.


Here is some of that countryside. Notice the ripples in the grass; the wind was blowing at a steady 20 mph this particular day.



After a couple of miles my route brings me out into open farmland. On the left in the pic below is Bush River Jerseys dairy farm
which has a most unique feature; they bottle and sell their own milk right on the spot (as well as send it to grocery stores).



Lady Blue at the Vend-a-Moo. You put your money ($4) in the machine, the machine moos at you (no, really!) and in a few seconds it delivers a gallon of cold,
fresh (expiration date THREE WEEKS from purchase!), all-Jersey-cow milk - supermarket stuff can't touch it.

The smaller machine on the right will sell you a pint of chocolate milk (from the same dairy) for a buck.
You KNOW there are quite a few of my bucks in that machine.


Chocolate pint safely in my pannier, I continue down the road, wave at the local residents

(Okay, I had to ring my bell a couple of times to get their attention)


And continue my progress, delightedly smelling the wildflowers, pine, and newly-mown hay along the way.

This shot, by the way, is representative of the usual flow of traffic along this route.


In my first commute thread, I mentioned "cooters", or river turtles.
This is a cooter, a small one. He (she? hard to tell) was almost finished crossing the road - safely...

Probably couldn't say that in downtown Phoenix, or L.A., or St. Louis, or... well, you get the idea.


After a couple more miles of countryside like this:

I make a right turn - on this particular day, it meant turning directly into that 20 - mph wind.


Immediately after that right turn I go up and over a slight rise



And I'm presented with (IMHO) the prettiest view of the whole journey:



Down the hill, up the hill, over the railroad tracks, and across US Route 76, and I'm at my usual resting place, where I down my chocolate pint.
Across the street you can see the little Shetland pony and the little burro (would that be a burrito? Naahhh...) who serve as
lawnmowers to that homeowner.

This day I had to down my chocolate pint (and snap the pic) quickly, as there was a Highway Dept. mowing crew approaching.


The rest of the route is the same as always, only much greener and more fragrant now.



This is the source of some of the fragrance - a huge clump of primroses and honeysuckle.
Just on the other side of this is the field where my friends the Belgians live.



The marshy creek at the bottom of Yee-Haww Hill takes on an almost tropical aura



...and here's the last mile of the trip. My house is just beyond the curve at the top of the hill. I'd include a pic of it, but I need to mow the lawn first...


Again, I thank you for riding along with me. Okay all you other commuters, it's YOUR TURN!!!!

You are one lucky individual. That looks like heaven compared to what I have to ride in.
Those pics are absolutely great. Enjoyed riding with you.
rocket man

Outstanding, Nightturkey.

I'm afraid I would never make it to work if I lived in your area.

I would be an Itinerate Cycle Bum!

Just a quick bump and update - I got caught in a hellacious thunderstorm on my way home the other day - Lady Blue and I weathered it okay, but there were some dicey moments when we were the tallest item in the countryside and I really hoped I was pedalling fast enough not to be set up for a lightning target. Made it home soaked but unscathed, and vowing always to double-check the forecast before I head out.

I'm having just the opposite problem: The heat just doesn't seem to want to leave. This week would have been great commuting, but I had to run around to another office toting hardware around in the car so the bike had to stay home.

Next week it is supposed to head up towards 105° F once again. That is doable as long as I take it really easy. If I finish up being the high-tech moving man, maybe I'll try to slide into a Tuesday and Thursday commute.

It’s cooling down here but we have had very good weather clear blue skies all this week. We had more rain than normal this summer the last thunder storm was very local. I haven’t seen so much rain and hail in such a short period of time here before. Some farmers had their crops ruined. It stopped before I rode home and there had been no rain at all at my house. The weatherman didn’t predict this weather and I have learned not to trust him so I carry rain clothes with me when I ride.
I suppose some of you don’t need to carry rain clothes?

Peder

Well, I'm sure some of us don't need to carry rain clothes, others probably carry rain clothes, and still others should carry them but just don't bother . Fortunately the temperature the other day was still around 80 degrees F, even in the rain, so although I got wet it wasn't cold.

Naw, no rain clothes needed in Phoenix. We're something like 12 or 13 years into a drought.

I'd ride naked but (1) the cops take a dim view of it, (2) there would be accidents all over the place as a result of the ladies gawking at the dashing figure I would cut, and (3) I'd have to slather sun screen on parts of my body which might get irritated and red.